On the surface of the planet Jasper, Harrington makes the acquaintance of Commodore Mieczyslaw Teschendorff of the Confederate Navy. He invites her to his favourite retaurant, and after he leaves, Honor is approached by one of the waiters, who tells her that he is an old friend of the Beowulfan arm of her family. He informs her that the pirate ship she captured has vanished along with its crew. When she aks about his identity, he introduces himself as John Brown Matheson, a former genetic slave and member of the Audubon Ballroom.

Honor learns that the infamous Mesan slaving company Manpower, Incorporated is conducting large-scale slave trade from a base in the Casimir System. After bringing this information back to the Governor, she is surprised to be forbidden to enter Casimir, and begins to investigate further. The Ballroom feeds her more information about the slave depot, and lets her know that they control a transport vessel that might be helpful in sabotaging the Casimir operation.

Back aboard Hawkwing, Honor informs her senior officers of her plan to attack the slave depot on her own authority. They support her decision, and some time later, the ship's company meets with the Ballroom transport, Reprisal, which is filled with well-trained Ballroom fighters. Plans are made, and eventually they approach Casimir Station posing as the slaver Rapunzel. Scanners detect an Andermani freighter that turns out to be none other than the Evita, the slaver they captured at Hyatt. Once they are close enough, Reprisal seperates from Hawkwing, which it had towed along in its sensor shadow. Evita is destroyed by a single salvo from the Manticoran destroyer's laser batteries before the pirate crew even realizes what is happening.

After neutralizing the station's weapons with her point defense clusters, Honor orders the surviving slavers to surrender, threatening to kill them all if she has to. The depot's commander, Edytá Sokolowska, tries to stall the Manticorans until the corrupt system governor can come to her aid, thinking that Captain Harrington has only a single platoon of Marines at her disposal. Honor informs her that she has almost a thousand Audubon Ballroom terrorists just waiting to be set loose. Sokolowska dares her to do it, but at that point Kamil Mazur, the depot's senior engineer, shoots her from behind and surrenders. Honor orders him to protect the slaves from the fanatics among his own crew until the Ballroom arrives.

Led by Honor herself, the Ballroom and the Marines board the depot and fight their way past the Manpower crew. They find most of the station's original crew battered, but alive.

Five days later, a Silesian heavy cruiser arrives at Casimir, and turns out to be the Feliksá, Commodore Teschendorff's flagship. He informs Honor that he is "shocked" about her unilateral actions, and that "luckily" his arrival could prevent any further escalation. During a recorded interview aboard his ship, he officially reprimands her for the way she handled the Casimir situation, but allows Hawkwing, the Ballroom, and the freed slaves to leave the system.

Once back in Manticore, Hawkwing is sent to be overhauled, and her crew given three weeks leave. Honor Harrington is summoned to the office of First Space LordJames Bowie Webster, who informs her that her actions have caused quite a diplomatic fuss, and that none of the guilty parties will be punished based on the "illegally obtained" evidence. The whole affair will be completely ignored by both star nations. Honor is relieved of command of the Hawkwing, and registered for the next training cycle of the Advanced Tactical Course, meaning the Admiralty actually wants her fit for senior command as soon as possible. Lastly, the First Space Lord informs her that they will keep an eye on her from now on, and that she will not get away with something like this again.

Back home, Honor is astonished to discover that her mother knows everything about the Casimir affair, since the Reprisal has arrived safely on Beowulf. Allison Chou Harrington tells her daughter that she is very proud of her.